Potter Electric Signal Company, LLC of St. Louis, Missouri USA, announces the requirement mandated by NFPA 13 for air vents to be installed on all new metallic wet pipe fire protection systems. In a major change that impacts designers and installers, the 2016 edition of NFPA 13 added a new requirement that a single air vent be installed on each wet pipe sprinkler system to help reduce corrosion activity due to trapped air.
7.1.5 Air Venting
A single air vent with a connection conforming to 8.16.6 shall be provided on each wet pipe system utilizing metallic pipe.
8.16.6 Air Venting
The vent required by 7.1.5 shall be located near a high point in the system to allow air to be removed from that portion of the system by one of the following methods:
- Manual valve, minimum 1/2″ size
- Automatic air vent
- Other approved means
The Potter Automatic Air Vent (PAV) is the only UL listed and FM approved automatic air vent for fire sprinkler systems available on the market today. The PAV is designed to reduce the amount of air in a fire sprinkler system with little or no maintenance, and is the ideal choice for meeting NFPA 13 7.1.5. The product is also available as a PAAR-B with drip pan. Josh Tihen, Product Manager for the Corrosion Division at Potter said, “We think that this code requirement is great for the fire protection industry. It will ensure the longevity of pipe systems by reducing corrosion, saving building owners time and money.” Tihen continued. “I think the Potter PAV is the best solution to meet the new requirement. It is easy to use and the fact that it is automatic saves time and money.”
